1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bow holders and, more particularly, to bow holders especially adapted for supporting a bow in an upright orientation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of bow holders to support a bow in an upright orientation is well known in the art. When an archer wants to stop holding a bow, it is often desirable to rest the bow in a bow holder so that the bow is retained in an upright orientation. When the bow is retained in the upright orientation, the archer can rapidly reacquire the bow and rapidly use the bow.
Generally, when a bow is retained in a bow holder, the bow is retained either on the ground or in a elevated location. In this respect, throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to bow holders, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,846,140, 4,896,854, 5,039,052, 5,111,800, and 5,183,231. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,140 discloses a spike stand for archery bows in which the spike stand is clamped onto the bow. To support the bow in the ground, the spike portion is turned toward the ground and is pushed into the ground. On the other hand, when the bow is being used, the spike portion is pulled out from the ground and is turned away from the ground. Rather than pulling a spike out of the ground when the bow is being used, it would be desirable to leave the spike and the bow holder in contact with the ground and simply remove the bow from the bow holder to use the bow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,854 discloses a bow holder which permits a bow to be held in an upright orientation when the bow holder is supported either by the ground or by a hunting seat. For support in the ground, a peg is employed, and the peg has a head which includes a bolt reception channel. Providing a bolt reception channel in the head of a ground penetration peg inevitably weakens the head of peg. To avoid such a weakening of the head of a ground penetration member, it would be desirable if a ground penetration member were provided which does not have a bolt reception channel in the head of the ground penetration member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,052 discloses a portable bow holder that can be supported either in the ground or on an elevated support. In either case, a portion of the bow holder is clamped onto the bow, so that the bow carries that clamped on portion, even when the bow is in use. As stated hereinabove, it would be desirable not to have a portion of a bow support to be clamped onto the bow. Moreover, the ground penetration portion has a head which receives an attachment bolt. Also, as stated hereinabove, it would be desirable if a ground penetration member does not have a bolt reception channel in the head of the ground penetration member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,800 discloses another bow holder that includes a ground penetration member that has a head which receives an attachment bolt, and a reason for the undesirability of this feature is stated hereinabove.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,231 discloses a bow holder which may be supported either by the ground or a tree stand. A ground penetration member and a related member are arranged in a telescopic relationship. If dirt enters between two telescopic members, the dirt can cause excessive wear between the telescopic members. In this respect, it would be desirable if a bow holder has a ground penetration member that does not employ telescopic members.
Still other features would be desirable in a bow holder apparatus. For example, since both a ground-penetration mode and a tree-stand-support mode have distinct advantages at different times, it would be desirable if a bow holder apparatus could easily be interconverted between a ground-penetration mode and a tree-stand-support mode.
When a bow is supported by a bow holder, the bow is often supported in an orientation so that when the archer returns to the bow, the bow is at a proper orientation for shooting. When a bow is supported by a bow holder on the ground, the bow support orientation would be different from when a bow is supported by a bow holder in a tree stand. In this respect, it would be desirable if the angular orientation of a bow holder could be readily adjusted by a user.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use a bow holder, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a bow holder apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) permits a spike and a bow holder to remain in contact with the ground and permits the bow to be simply removed from the bow holder to use the bow; (2) provides a ground penetration member which does not have a bolt reception channel in the head of the ground penetration member; (3) has a ground penetration member that does not employ telescopic members; (4) can easily be interconverted between a ground-penetration mode and a tree-stand-support mode; and (5) provides that the angular orientation of a bow holder can be readily adjusted by a user. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique bow holder apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.
To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the present invention, briefly described, provides a bow holder apparatus which includes a bow holder unit which includes a top holder member portion and a bottom holder member portion. The top holder member portion includes a front holder portion, a middle holder portion, and a rear holder portion. The bottom holder member portion includes connector receivers. Holder-to-support interface means are received in the connector receivers for connecting the bow holder unit to an underlying support that can be either the ground or an elevated structure, such as a tree stand.
For the ground-penetration mode, the holder-to-support interface means include top stake portions which are connected to ground-penetration bottom stake portions of ground stake members. The underlying support is the ground. By using the bow holder apparatus of the invention in the ground-penetration mode, an archer can keep one""s bow off of the ground when the bow is not in use. This prevents the bow from being wetted or dirtied by the ground. Moreover, when a bow is installed on the bow holder apparatus, the bow will be ready to shoot an arrow without noisy and time-consuming setup of bow and arrow.
Preferably, the bow holder unit includes a pair of complimentary bow holder unit half members which include a first bow holder unit half member and a second bow holder unit half member. Each of the first bow holder unit half member and the second bow holder unit half member includes a respective front holder portion, a middle holder portion, a rear holder portion, a bottom holder member portion, and plural connector receivers.
The first bow holder unit half member includes fastener engagement wells, and the second bow holder unit half member includes fastener reception channels. Fasteners, such as screws, are received in the fastener reception channels and the fastener engagement wells for securing the first bow holder unit half member to the second bow holder unit half member.
Preferably, the front holder portion of the first bow holder unit half member is spaced apart from the front holder portion of the second bow holder unit half member by a string-reception space. When a bow is placed on the bow holder unit, the string or strings of the bow enter the string-reception space. The bow can be a compound bow. Alternatively, the bow can be a single-string bow.
For each of the first bow holder unit half member and the second bow holder unit half member, the respective front holder portion, the respective middle holder portion, and the respective rear holder portion are aligned along a respective alignment line. The ground stake members are arrayed along a line parallel to the alignment lines.
Each of the front holder portions includes a respective front inner holder wall which is tilted with respect to the alignment lines at a tilt angle. Each of the front inner holder walls includes a fulcrum bump.
Each of the rear holder portions includes a respective rear inner holder wall which is alignment with a respective fulcrum bump.
The holder-to-support interface means include a bolt head portion of a first connector bolt, and the underlying support includes elevated support attachment means attached to an elevated support.
The elevated support attachment means can include a support panel which is connected to the first connector bolt. The first connector bolt passes through a first bolt reception channel in the support panel. A first nut is provided for connection with a threaded end of the first connector bolt for securing the support panel to the bow holder unit.
A second connector bolt is threaded through a second bolt reception channel in the support panel. A clamping plate includes a bolt reception channel through which a portion of the second connector bolt passes through, and a second nut is provided for attachment to a threaded end of the second connector bolt.
An orientation angle adjustment wedge is positioned between the bow holder unit and the support panel. The orientation angle adjustment wedge includes an internal adjustment slot. The first connector bolt passes through the internal adjustment slot at a selected position along the internal adjustment slot.
The above brief description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will be for the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least two preferred embodiments of the invention in detail, it is understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood, that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such bow holder apparatus available to the buying public.
Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus which permits a spike and a bow holder to remain in contact with the ground and permits the bow to be simply removed from the bow holder to use the bow.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus that provides a ground penetration member which does not have a bolt reception channel in the head of the ground penetration member.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus which has a ground penetration member that does not employ telescopic members.
Even another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus that can easily be interconverted between a ground-penetration mode and a tree-stand-support mode.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bow holder apparatus which provides that the angular orientation of a bow holder can be readily adjusted by a user.